ICTERID^ THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 319 



The species (including a western one, which may reasonably be 

 expected to occur as a straggler) are characterized as follows : 



A. Tail much shorter than the wing, nearly even; bill with with straight outlines. 

 Males orange and black, the females much duller. (Subgenus Yphantes.) 



1. I. galbula. Adult male. Head and neck all round, back, wings, and part of tail, 

 deep black, the wing-feathers edged with white; rest of plumage usually rich cad- 

 mium-orange, but varying from yellowish orange to intense reddish orange. 

 Adult female. Above olive, usually more or less mixed with blackish; beneath dull 

 orange, the throat usually mixed with black (whole head and neck sometimes 

 broken blackish); tail yellowish olive. Young like the adult female, but without 

 black on throat. 



2. I. bnllocki. Adult male. Crown, nape, back, wings.and part of tail.deep black; a 

 narrow stripe through the eye and a broad one on the throat, also black; a large 

 white patch covering greater wing- coverts; rump dull orange; superciliary 

 stripe, with lower parts orange, varying from Indian-yellow to a rich reddish cad- 

 mium hue. Adult female and young male in second year. Above brownish gray 

 the back usually spotted with blackish; beneath brownish white, yellowish ante- 

 riorlysometimes wholly yellowish the throat often with more or less of an indi- 

 cation of a dusky stripe; tail yellowish olive. 



B. Tail about eaual to the wings, graduated; bill slender, decurved at the tip. Adult 

 male; chestnut and black. (Subgenus Pendulinus.) 



3. I. spurius. Adult male. Head, neck, jugulum, back, wings and tail, deep black; 

 rump, lesser and middle wing-coverts, and lower parts, rich chestnut. Adult 

 female. Above olive-green, beneath greenish yellow. Young male in second year. 

 Similar to adult female, but throat black. Young, first plumage. Much like the 

 adult female. 



Icterus galbula (Linn.) 



BALTIMORE OBIOLE. 



Popular synonyms. Hanging Bird; Hang-nest; Golden Oriole; Golden Robin; English 

 Aobin; Fire Bird; Pea Bird. 



Coracias galbula LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 107. 

 Icterus galbula COUES, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, v,1880,98; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 326; 2d 



Key, 1884, 408.-Rn>GW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 271. 

 Oriolus Baltimore LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i. 1866, 162. WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 23, pL 1, fig. 3; 



vi,88,pl. 53, fig. 4. 



Icterus baltimoreDAVD. 1800. NUTT. Man, i, 1832, 152. AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 66; v, 

 1839, 278, pis. 12,423; Synop. 1839. 143; B. Am. iv, 1842, 37, pi. 217. BAIBD, B. N. Am. 

 1858. 548; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 415.-CouES, Key, 1872, 158; Check List. 1874, 

 No. 216; B. N. W. 1874, 193. B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 195, pL 35, fig. 5. 



HAB. Temperate eastern North America, west to the eastern base of the Rocky . 

 Mountains, breeding chiefly north of 35. In winter, eastern Mexico and Central Amer- 

 ica to Colombia; Cuba. 



SP. CHAB. Adult male. Head and neck all round, jugulum (especially the median 

 portion), back, wings, two middle tail-feathers, and middle portion of other rectrices, 

 deep black. Lesser wing-coverts, rump, lower parts, and greater portion of tail, rich 

 pure cadmium- orange. Feathers of wings edged with white. Bill fine light blue, the 

 upper half of the maxilla black ; iris brown ; legs and feet plumbeous blue. Adult female. 

 Above olive, mixed with dull greenish orange, the crown more or less mixed with black, 

 and the back inclining to gray. Wings dusky, with two white bands. Tail golden olive. 

 Lower parts dull orange, the abdomen inclining to whitish. Throat usually mixed with 

 black. Young. Similar to the adult female, but without any black about head. Wing, 

 3.55-3.80; tail, 3.10-3.35; bill, from nostril,. 48-.50. 



